SD Gundam: Solution SelfTermination
by Charon the Sabercat
Summary: Today's SD Gundam fic is all about all together now what would happen if Shute got hurt by the Captain?


Solution; Self Termination  
  
Never seen a SD Gundam fic on this sight before now. So, I'll write one! Shute is injured, if only minorly, by Captain (it was an accident). How does he react? How does everyone else react?  
  
"Captain, you are holding your sword too low!"  
  
Bakunetsumaru pulled back his katana from Captain's beam saber. "You must hold your sword higher if you are to correctly block that attack!"  
  
"I have always held my sword this way," the leader Gundam stated emotionlessly. He waved his beam saber absentmindedly. "The fact that you have not taken notice until now confuses me, Bakunetsumaru."  
  
"I 'have taken notice' now because your ineffective sword techniques nearly cost us our last battle! You are holding your sword lower than you used to!"  
  
Captain did a simple move with his sword and, oddly enough, he hit his wrist against his knee.  
  
A small question mark appeared over his head as he looked over his beam saber. "That's odd, I am holding my sword lower lately."  
  
Zero watched out of pure boredom from a distance. He had tuned out a long time ago, so now all he paid attention to were Baku's exaggeratedly funny waving arms and Captain's naive, calm composure.  
  
Oddly enough, just as Captain and Bakunetsumaru were starting another battle, Shute began to walk towards them. He was preoccupied by something he held in his hand; a GamePort, a hand-held "video game"ing system.  
  
"A waste of time, those things," Zero spoke to himself. "In Lacroax, we did not need such things to keep ourselves entertained. We would use sheep knuckles to- Shute?"  
  
Shute was wandering a bit too close for comfort. He was completely lost in his game; he was simply a few steps away from the clashing swords of the two Gundams!  
  
"SHUTE, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"  
  
Shute picked up his head and looked to Zero, but not to his Captain friend. His sword gave a sudden kick and-  
  
"OOOOOOOOWWW!"  
  
***  
  
Keiko wrapped the cotton gauze tenderly around her son's arm. "Oh, my poor baby, are you sure you're okay?"  
  
"It just stings a little," Shute winced as his mother dabbed his wound with rubbing alcohol. "OW! And that's making it sting worse, stop it!"  
  
Baby Nana traced Shute's cut with her fist. It ran from the back of his wrist to 1/2 inch above his elbow, although the cut was so tiny widthwise that if Shute wasn't bleeding, you wouldn't have noticed it. By this time, most of Shute's arm was wrapped up like a mummy, and what wasn't wrapped was soaking in rubbing alcohol ("Mom, it stings! Stop it- OW! Blowing on it makes it worse!")  
  
"Oh dear..." Keiko finally finished wrapping his little arm. "Oh, Shute, how did you cut yourself so badly?"  
  
***  
  
Captain was shaking. Captain was standing outside the door to Shute's house, shaking in his armor. He wrung his hands nervously while Bakunetsumaru and Zero stood on either side of him.  
  
"Captain?" Zero tapped Captain's shoulder with knightly courtesy. "Captain? Is something wrong?"  
  
"I... I hurt Shute..." Captain was beginning to rattle with tremors. "Shute has been harmed, and... i-it is because of me."  
  
"It was not your fault, Captain," Bakunetsumaru tried his hand at comforting his friend. "It was an accident."  
  
"Shute wandered into your battle of his own accord," Zero finished. "If he had seen where he was going and not have been playing that game, he would not have gotten hurt."  
  
"But... it was my blade." Captain drew his beam saber and held it to his eyes. "It was my sword that hurt him..."  
  
He sheathed his blade again and continued. "I always thought that if Shute were to be hurt, it would be from the Dark Axis. But not from us... Not from me."  
  
"Shute's injury was minor," Zero reasoned. "His mother will not be mad."  
  
A shiver ran down Captain's back. "But if she is mad... what will she do?"  
  
"Well, most of the mothers I know would forbid you from ever seeing their child again-"  
  
Zero threw a hand over Bakunetsumaru's "mouth". "BAKA-netsumaru! You're not helping!"  
  
"Don't call me a 'baka'!"  
  
"OOOOOOOOW!"  
  
Zero and Bakan- I mean Bakunetsumaru jumped at the sound. Captain gasped and began to shake harder. "That was Shute's voice!"  
  
"He must be in more pain than I thought," Bakunetsumaru spoke to himself. Apparently, he spoke too loudly, because Captain reeled back like he had been hit by a truck, and Zero hit him over the head and called him a 'baka' again.  
  
A faint glow began to arise from Captain's chest. Zero startled and stepped backward in shock. Baku pointed to Captain and stuttered, "Cap-capt- yo- your Soul Drive!"  
  
But Captain didn't notice. Shute was hurt... and it was because of him. His first and best friend was in terrible pain right now because of his hand; because he held his sword too low; because he was not paying attention to what was going on around him; Because Of Him, Shute was in pain-  
  
Something deep within the recesses of Captain's mind clicked on. FAILURE TO PROTECT CITIZEN. ANALYSIS: MALFUNCTION. SOLUTION: SELF TERMINATION  
  
ZHOOM!  
  
"Captain, where are you going?!" Zero called into the sky. "Oh, it's no use, I've lost sight of him!"  
  
"Why did he fly off like that?" Bakunetsumaru wondered to himself again, speaking loud enough for Zero to hear him.  
  
***  
  
His fault...  
  
His chest and fist were now glowing with a golden light.  
  
TERMINATE SELF IN 3-  
  
His fault...  
  
He gripped his beam saber tightly in his radiant hand.  
  
2-  
  
His fault...  
  
He landed and pointed the sword to his "heart".  
  
1-  
  
His fault...  
  
He took one final breathe and began to push the saber into his chest-  
  
BEGIN.  
  
But something stopped it! The shining light of the Soul Drive pushed back his sword; Captain was left with nothing more than a small nick in his armor.  
  
"Self-termination drive has failed." He sighed and dropped his saber to the ground. "I am not fit to protect this universe, nor am I fit to protect any other. If I cause harm to the loved ones around me, how can I protect all of Neotopia? I don't even know most of these people personaly!"  
  
Captain begann to pace back and worth. "The well being of all in Neotopia rests on my shoulders, and yet I am losing my ability to handle my blade. Am I becoming obsolete? The people at home base will have to upgrade me..."  
  
He stopped, closed his eyes, and whispered to himself, "Or terminate me."  
  
"Captain!"  
  
"I am hearing voices now," Captain spoke with a cracking voice. "It is just as well... I am obviously malfunctioning. First the sword, then Shute... then..."  
  
Logical system override. "Wait, there was no third triggering point. I am reacting purely because of Shute..."  
  
"Cap-TAIN!"  
  
The voices were getting louder, and the voice was recognizeable as Shute's. Such a violent reaction over something so trivial; and yet, it wasn't trivial. Shute was His friend; Shute was hardly even a friend anymore, he was a second half. It was almost as if he was a piece of hardware that had been missing from Captain's equipment. Captain remembered that, at first, Captain had only searched for Shute's companionship as a method to activate his Soul Drive. But as their number of adventures increased, Captain realized that Shute was more than a valueable tool. Indeed, he was still that, bu-  
  
"CAPTAIN!"  
  
The voices were interrupting his thinking now? Incredible. "I must be seriously malfunctioning now. I ha-"  
  
"CAPTAIN!"  
  
The leaves and bushes around him rustled, and out from one particular little brush came-  
  
SHUTE! One of his arms was wrapped in a very red cotton gauze, and he was looking very tired and pale, but it was Shute!  
  
The petite auburn-haired child stood catching his breathe, but did not take his eyes off of the Gundam he called "friend". His breathing was laboured and deep.  
  
"Shute!" Captain stepped forward and stood above his human friend, readying to pick him up and carry him home. "Shute, you are showing signs of fatigue! Are you well?"  
  
The boy giggled and, looking up to meet Captain's eyes, gasped, "Captain... (gulp, gasp, pant) you're... shiny..."  
  
Captain held out his hand and saw that his entire arm was bathed in a golden glow. In fact, during the course of his self-monologue, the light from his soul drive had taken over his entire body! He was a Golden Gundam!  
  
"I am shiny," he spoke in his normal, non-caring tone. "But Shute, you are pale. Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
"I... kinda had to run... a reallyreallyreallylongway, you're alright, Captain!"  
  
Shute fumbled onto his feet and staggered forward, throwing his arms around Captain's neck. "Zero and... Bakunetsumaru.... said you were gonna... do something terrible..."  
  
The light enveloping his body began to concentrate in his arms. Captain blinked and quietly spoke, "But Shute.. your mother, she is not mad at me?"  
  
"Why would she be mad?" Shute asked, not taking his head off of Captain's shoulders.  
  
"Because..." Captain winced as a drop of Shute's blood dripped onto his shoulder. "Of what I did."  
  
"You wanna know what I told her?" Shute chuckled. "I told her that I was playing with your sword while you were resting and cut myself. I got grounded."  
  
Captain, as Zero and Bakunetsumaru had done before him, startled and tripped backwards, pulling Shute along with him. "But- but, it is my fault that you are injured! Why did you tell your mother a lie?!"  
  
"Because if I hadn't, she would've said I wouldn't be able to see you anymore..." Shute picked up his head. "You're my friend..."  
  
Shute's breath became slow, even, and unbearably quiet. Captain wrapped his golden arms around the boy, squeezing his shoulders as lightly as he could. He looked deeply into his emerald eyes. "You're my friend too, Shute..."  
  
***  
  
"OH! That... that... idiotic, crass, guileless excuse for a warrior! Letting his emotions overtake him like that! Now I have to go and look for him; 'You take the air, Zero.' 'See if you can spot him, Zero.' And then Shute has to go and get lost; running off like that with an injury of his caliber! And, of course, they send Bakunetsumaru to look for Shute. Give him the easiest assignment, of course! I have to go and look for a Gundam who can run just about as fast as I can fly! That... that... that son o- ERGH! CAPTAIN!"  
  
Zero surveyed the forest with a frenzied eye. "CAPTAIN! That overemotional blockhead! CAPTAIN! COME OUT, YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"  
  
Zero had been screaming like this for hours; Captain had never responded.  
  
As his anger began to diminish, Zero's cries became more and more frantic. "Captain?! Captain, please, show yourself! Do something that lets me know you're not..."  
  
Memories began to conjure up in Zero's mind; how terrible he felt as he saw his Princess turn to stone, and how he wanted to end it all right there with one fell swing of his buster sword...  
  
Captain, even with his underdeveloped emotions, was undoubtedly feeling the same thing....  
  
"Captain..." Zero pleaded, too quiet for anyone but himself to hear. He lifelessly to the ground, loosing his will to fly.  
  
Bakunetsumaru chose that moment to ride up on Entengo, holding his hand in a fist. "Zero, what is wrong? Have you found Captain?"  
  
"No..." Zero breathed while sitting on his knees. "Have you-" He choked on his own voice and began again. "Have you found Shute?"  
  
"No, but..." Bakunetsumaru dismounted Entengo and kneeled before the Winged Knight. He held out his hand and unclenched his fingers. "Entengo found this."  
  
Zero took his eyes off of the ground and looked to Bakunetsumaru's hand.  
  
In his fingers were Shute's blood bandage and Captain's beam saber.  
  
"NO!" Zero bolted upright and took Shute's gauze in his own hand. "Shute- he couldn't ha- and Captain?"  
  
"I saw the burn mark from a flight booster on the ground, but the two were nowhere in sight." Bakunetsumaru hung his head. "There was a trail of blood leading to the sight."  
  
"There was?" Zero's eyes began to quiver. "But-they-"  
  
The Samurai sighed. "I'm sorry, Zero."  
  
Zero's eyes switched from their normal blue to a closed-eye screen with tears running from the corners. He stood crying, turning his back to Bakunestumaru. Inside, he felt repulsive; a grown Gundam, a Knight of Lacroa, winner of countless battles, weeping over two lost friends. It was beneath him.  
  
Bakunetsumaru placed a warm hand on Zero's shoulder. "It's hurt me too, Zero. Just don't worry. We'll find them."  
  
Zero turned his normal eyes back on. "Baku... Bakunetsumaru, are you sure that the blood trail was leading to the burn sight?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Well, Shute had that bandage on his arm after he ran away," Zero met eyes with Bakunetsumaru. "If blood had fallen to the ground, it was because Shute had taken the bandage off."  
  
Bakunetsumaru gasped. "Your right!"  
  
***  
  
"Senor Don Gato was a cat. On a high red roof is where he sat! He was there to read a letter-"  
  
"Meowmeowmeow."  
  
"Where the reading light was better-"  
  
"Meowmeowmeow."  
  
"'Twas a love note for Don Gato!"  
  
Shute giggled happily, then burst out into uncontrolled laughter.  
  
Shute was sitting shirtless by a stream while Captain used his shirt to keep his wound dressed. The stream came straight from the mountains; the water was extremely cold, but it kept Shute's arm from bleeding too profusely. The Gundam casually dabbed and rubbed his human friend's arm as the time passed; it was actually healing, and quite quickly.  
  
Shute yawned and gave Captain a hug with his better arm. "You're the best, Captain; thanks again."  
  
Captain blushed and looked at his knees. "Aw, it's nothin'."  
  
"No, really, I mean it!" Shute let go and stretched. "You're a true friend, Captain... to tell you the truth, I didn't really have any good friends before you. It's really... I like it."  
  
Captain blushed an even deeper red and stuttered a "thank you".  
  
Shute yawned and shoved himself into Captain's arms. "I'm gonna take another nap... wake me up a little later, okay?"  
  
"Okay, Shute. Good afternoon."  
  
"It's goodnight, Captain."  
  
"...But it's only two o' clock."  
  
"Goodnight, Captain."  
  
Shute fell asleep in a relatively short amount of time. Captain placed him on the ground and walked around in circles, wondering whether he should find his mother and tell her what happened or just go back to SDG base and stay there; spare himself the painful goodbye-  
  
"CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN! Bakunetsumaru, I've found him! CAPTAIN!"  
  
Captain looked up to see the blue flying knight hovering above him. "Zero! Hello!"  
  
Zero, in a bright blur of blue, streaked to the ground and hugged Captain tightly. Captain was lifted off his feet as Zero spun him around in his arms. "Oh Captain, we were looking everywhere; we were so sure you were going to kill yourself!"  
  
Captain sweatdropped. "You are making me uncomfortable, Zero. Please stop."  
  
A little vein popped out of Zero's forehead. "Oh, sure, Shute throws his arms around you nearly every day, and you let him, but I can't give you a little hug and not get yelled at and calle-"  
  
"No, Zero, you're making my arms press into the weak part of my armor."  
  
Zero's vein went away and was replaced by another sweatdrop. "Oh, like that. Oh... alright."  
  
Zero put the Captain down, only for him to be scooped up by Bakunetsumaru. The Samurai pounded his fists into Captain's back as he embraced him.  
  
"Captain! (Ow.) Where have (Ow.) you been?! Me (Ow.) and Zero and (Baku- Ow.) Shute's mother (Ow.) have been looking (Stop please. Ow.) everywhere (Ow.) for you (Ow.) and Shute (Ow.), and where (Baku? Ow.)have you Been? (Ow!) Right under (Actual- Ow.) our noses! (You don't have- Ow.) Do you (Ow.) know how (Ow.) long it took (Ow.) us to find (Quit it- Ow!) you?"  
  
"You're hurting him, Bakunetsumaru," Zero laughed.  
  
"I am?"  
  
"Yes, actually."  
  
Shute yawned, making Zero and Bakunetsumaru jump.  
  
"Shute is asleep," Captain explained, still being held by Bakunetsumaru. "You will wake him if you keep shouting."  
  
Bakunetsumaru dropped Captain unceremoniously and began to stand over Shute. "It's Shute... his skin is white, is he alright?"  
  
Captain smiled inwardly at the little poem. "Shute has suffered a small blood loss; he will be awake momentarily."  
  
"We need to get him back to his mother," Zero cooed.  
  
"I must explain what I have done to Shute, I guess..." Captain sighed. "She will not forbid me from ever seeing Shute again, will she?"  
  
"I doubt it wholefully, Captain," Zero nodded. "Madam Keiko is worried enough about her son; I do not think she would send away his best friend."  
  
Bakunetsumaru hoisted the half-awake Shute onto Entengo and placed an arm around his waist. "I am ready to bring Shute home. Are you coming, Captain?"  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
This is all best-friends-being-worried-about-eachother-so-much-it's-almost- painful-to-read fluff, and nothing more. LONG LIVE SD GUNDAM! 


End file.
